NVIDIA Mid Range 8600 GT vs 7600 GT Performance Comparison

Only a few weeks ago we compared the new 8500 GT to the cheaper and older 7300 GT video card and found the new NVIDIA budget card to be average at best. This week we compare the mid range offering, a Sparkle 8600 GT 256Mb which can be found at ~€100 in stores, to a ~€100 XFX 7600 GT 256Mb which comes with higher clock speeds. To round up the comparison we threw in a factory overclocked Calibre 8600 GT with 512Mb. Let´s see if the new cards can beat the revived price/performance champ.

Introduction & Specs

Introduction

When NVIDIA introduced their mid-range Geforce 7 series it became an instant success, the 7600GT delivered a formidable performance jump over the companies previous mid-range card, the 6600GT. In our review today we set out to see if NVIDIA does it again with the 8 series.

The Geforce 8 series introduced us to the “GTS” suffix, first found on the 8800 GTS and later used on the mid-range products too. The 8600 GTS was introduced at a price point not much lower than that of the 8800 GTS 320Mb, people expected this card to be “the” next NVIDIA mid-range card. Unfortunately the 8600 GTS disappointed in the performance charts, falling well behind the 8800 GTS 320Mb. At ~€200 the 8600 GTS definitely is not the killer deal many were waiting for.

While it’s true that the 7600 GT was initially introduced at a similar price of ~€200, its price/performance was very good at the time. Today the Geforce 7600 GT cards still available stores have enjoyed a nice price cut, available at prices as low as ~€90, furthermore we’ve seen an increase in specifications of these cards thanks to an improvement in the manufacturing process. The first batch of 7600 GT were at 90nm, the newer ones at 80nm. We reviewed a XFX 80nm based 7600 GT here. The XFX 7600 GT Fatality featured higher GPU speeds and memory clocks, these improvements have now been implemented in XFX entry level models, which feature the same increased clock speeds.